Friendship Hurts
by Diana Huntress Pines
Summary: Diana Huntress and Scarlet Rose are best friends in Gravity Falls, Oregon. But everything changes when twins Dipper and Mabel Pines move back to Gravity Falls for the second Summer in a row. Will they manage to keep their frienship together, or will it fall apart?
1. Chapter 1

Friendship Hurts

Chapter 1

It was midday on the second day of summer in Gravity Falls, Oregon, and it was _hot_. Possibly even the hottest day of the summer, and barely even into it! 18 year old Chimeri Diana Huntress lazed high in the trees near the tourist trap Mystery Shack. She wore a gold single-sleeved long-sleeved shirt that ended above the waist, and ankle length sapphire skirt. Her long coppery hair was braided into one single plait. Unlike humans, Diana had coppery-gold wings and a fur tail that blossomed into a fan of feathers at the tip.

"So, how many tourists will leave the Shack empty-handed today, Diana?" She turned to look at the speaker. Her best friend and constant companion Scarlet Rose flew up elegantly to the tree she was in. The sixteen year old was a pheonix with long red hair and sparkling emerald eyes. She wore a black knee-length dress with a short red jacket. Scarlet, also known as Scar, perched delicately on the branch next to Diana.

"Same as always, Scar. None." She replied simply.

"Why do you always say the same dang thing, Diana?" Scar complained.

"Because you know how that old man runs his business. He doesn't let anyone leave without spending money."

"Well, I say that at least one person will leave with nothing. What are you willing to bet?"

"A lotus blossom."

"Fireflower."

"What would I want with a fireflower?" Diana asked impatiently, drumming the branch she was sitting on.

"They are pretty." Scarlet retorted. "And I have too many of them."

"They are useless. Unlike lotus blossoms, which have powerful magical potential."

"Fine then. I'm still betting one th-" She was interrupted by a yellow taxi speeding up the dirt road that led to the Mystery Shack. With a screech, it parked outside the building in a billowing cloud of dust, earning a bleating from the goat that lived there. Two figures got out of the car, and when the cloud faded, the winged duo saw that they were brunette twins. A boy and a girl.

"Hey, those kids from last summer are back!" Cried Scarlet daftly.

"No shit, sherlock." She replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. They watched as the 'old man' Diana had mentioned stepped out the front door with his six-fingered twin brother and a squealing pig close behind him. The boy and the girl both ran up to the men, yelling, smiles on their happy faces.

"Grunkle Stan! Grunkle Ford!" They cried, hugging them tight.

"Grunkle?" Scarlet asked rhetorically. Diana mentioned for her to be quiet.

"Dipper! Mabel! Good to see you." Stan said. A squeal erupted and Mabel's eyes were drawn to the adorable pink pig next to them.

"Waddles! Oh my gosh, I have missed you so much!" She picked the pig up and hugged it tight. As she did so, Ford said something they couldn't hear and Dipper replied. Diana frowned.

"Well, I think I've had enough." Scarlet spread her gorgeous red, orange, and yellow wings, ready to fly. "Diana, are you coming?" She asked.

"No, thank you. I want to stay here and take a closer look." Scar frowned. She didn't like it when her friend wanted to do something that she didn't. Then she smiled. She ought to be happy for her friend. Besides, Diana deserved to take a break from her. With little effort, she took to the clear blue skies and flew off.

Diana watched her go, then gently lowered herself to the leafy forest floor, careful not to clip her wings on anything. Once on the ground, she tucked her wings into her shirt, and withdrew her tail into her skirt, concealing everything that made her Chimeri. Now she looked like a human. And a tourist. Unlike her friend Scarlet, Diana could lip read. Ford had said something about a journal, and magic. She needed to find out what was going on. Something told her that this was not your ordinary family. Drawing her midnight blue purse out of a hidden pocket in her skirt, she made her way to the Mystery Shack, and entered the run-down establishment.

Dipper and Mabel had unpacked their belongings upstairs in the dusty attic that had served as their bedroom the previous summer, before coming back downstairs to retrieve Dippers beloved journal number three from Ford. Ever since he had found the old, dusty book in a false tree in the woods, he had been adding information about Gravity Falls mysterious and magical inhabitants. When his great uncle Ford, aka the author of the journals, had came out of the portal the year before, he had let Dipper keep the journal. But when it was time to go home after the summer ended the year before, he knew, sadly, that he could not take it with him, for there were no mysteries, theories or magical beings back home. So Ford had said he would look after it until he returned. And here they are now.

He had told him to meet him in the basement. Dipper was about to enter the passcode into the vending machine when the door to the gift shop opened with a ding, and a young lady with a large smile on her lips walked in. He sighed. Tourists. They always showed up at the wrong time. To cover his action, he put a quarter into the machine as Mabel went to man the register. The woman looked around a bit before selecting a pair of cute silver question mark earrings. The idea was Mabels, of course, and she wouldn't leave Stan alone until he agreed to sell them. They were still here, so Dipper figured that they were popular. Going to buy them, Mabel complimented her outfit, and showed the lady her latest sweater. That immediately started a conversation. Dipper sighed in resigned frustration. Mabel was incredibly irritating like that at times like this.

"Oh, and your hair! It's so beautiful! Who does it?" She asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Actually, I do it myself. I'm Diana Huntress, by the way." Dipper narrowed his eyes at the person. He had met someone with that name before. But then again, she was in another dimension.

"What a pretty name!" Mabel exclaimed. "I'm Mabel. That awkward person over there is my twin brother, Dipper." She pointed at him.

"Mabel!" He said, embarrassed. This girl was rather attractive, and he didn't want to ruin his chances. Unlike what had happened with Wendy. Diana purchased her goods and walked out the door, waving goodbye as something coppery fell out of her pocket.

"She is a nice lady." Mabel remarked happily. Dipper picked up the object and opened the door, hoping to give it back.

"Diana, you dropped-" She wasn't there. "-something. Where did she go?" He frowned. Mabel pointed to the object he was holding.

"Dipper! Look!" He examined the 'something'. It was a copper feather.

"Why would she have a feather?" A shadow briefly passed over him and Mabel. He looked up and squinted against the bright sun to see a silloiette of a large bird. The shape looked rather humanoid.

Later that night, Dipper stayed up late researching about the feather. He rubbed his temples absentmindedly. He was puzzled.

"It matches no other feather in the world." He murmured aloud. "It's close to a falcons, but has too much golden hue in it. Unless..." He grabbed the journal off his bedside table and started leafing through the pages. After Diana had left, he had gone downstairs to retrieve his book from Ford. He paused at a page labeled 'Chimeri', and read aloud a small paragraph.

 _"'The Chimeri are a winged race who live for the protection and preservation of nature. They won't go near cities because they live in awe of civilization. Most think that they are proud and stuck-up. They have an aerodynamic tail that fans out like a birds at the end for flight control. Feather designs and colours vary from person to person, but most are some form of copper, bronze or gold.'_ So Diana is either a Chimeri, or knows one." The latter seemed more likely, but if she was one, maybe she was used to, or likes civilization.

"Actually, now that I think about it, she did have a feather-patterned tattoo peaking out from behind her shirt collar. Maybe she disguised herself." He pondered aloud. Then he shrugged. He would tell Mabel and ask Ford about it in the morning. But what he needed most right now was some sleep. It was tugging at him, urging him to close his eyes. Turning his bedside lamp off, he closed his heavy eyelids, and drifted off to a deep slumber, dreaming about birds with human heads.


	2. Chapter 2

Friendship Hurts

Chapter 2

As Diana flew North home for the night, she was stopped by a very angry looking Chimeri. She sighed. This was one of her few enemies, Raven Frost. She had short, stubby black hair with white streaks through it, deep, purple eyes and wide, black, raven wings. Although she was a Chimeri, she had no tail, a rare birth defect among the winged race. She wore a dark purple sleeveless knee-length cocktail dress, and an indigo butterfly tattoo gleamed at the base of her throat. A tattoo there ment that a Chimeri was an outcast. The outcast could choose what it was, they were free to interact with others, and come and go from villages as they please, but they were closely watched, could have no family with other Chimeri, could not go to the occasional rituals, and were not considered true Chimeri.

"What do you want, Raven?" Diana asked tiredly. She'd been through this before.

"Your hair product is useless! It just made my hair go dull and grey!" she gestured to her hair, which was actually glossier and shinier than ever. About to point this out, she remembered another detail.

"You were using my hair product." She repeated, then raised an eyebrow. "I don't have any."

"Oh... oh, yeah... well...um I...b-but." Raven struggled to find a suitable comeback. "Ugh! Fine!" She flew off angrily. Diana cupped a hand around her mouth and called after her.

"Come back when you have proper facts! Silly girl." She rolled her eyes, and moved on. Arriving at her tree home in a hollowed-out tree, she began to think to herself. She hoped that Dipper got her feather, figured out what it was, and came to find her. She wanted desperately to know what the 'journal' was, and why they were talking about magic and the like. She opened the door and a cheerful voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey, Diana!" Cried Scarlet cheerfully.

"Hello, Scar. What brings you here?"

"Oh, the usual. Say hi, tell you the gossip of the forest... oh! Did you know that the gnome police are starting to train woodpeckers to break down doors!? So exciting!" She chattered.

"Isn't that kinda supposed to be, you know, classified?" Diana inquired.

"Not if you're friends with someone in the Defence Force of the Forest! Or just D.F.F. for short."

"You know I already know what it is for short."

"I know. So anyway, Diana, what were you doing this afternoon without me?" Scar asked.

"Well, you know how I can lip read?" She nodded. "Well, Ford said something about a 'journal', and they also know about magic. I investigated. Well, kind of anyway. I left one of my feathers there, and hopefully, if they really do know about magic, they'll come find me, and I learn about this 'journal' they speak of." Diana explained.

"Good plan. One question: where do I come in?" Scarlet asked.

"You can wait with me."

"Sounds boring."

"Waiting usually is, Scar."

"Fine then. Anything else happen?"

"Well I brought this really cute pair of earrings from the gift shop." She pulled the case out of her pocket to show Scarlet.

"Holy crap! Those are adorable!" The red-head exclaimed, envious.

"Yeah, that's why I got them." Diana paused. "Guess who I ran into on the way home?" She asked.

"Let me guess. Raven Frost."

"Ding, ding, ding! That is correct for one million dollars!"

"Oh, god. What did she do this time?" Scar asked, knowing she was probably going to regret it.

"She accused me of having bad hair product. It sounds stupid, I know."

"She used your- oh, wait. You don't have any!"

"Thats what I said. Then she got all mad and couldn't figure out what to say, so she flew off."

"Ha ha! Serves her right for messing with my best friend!" Scar cried. They spent the rest of the abnormaly warm evening gossiping and chatting. When Diana's clock stuck nine, Scarlet decided to leave.

"Must you go?"

"Yeah. Shadow will get angry if I miss one of his home-cooked meals again. But hey, I'll meet you at the oak?"

"Definitely. See you there. Say hi to your brother for me."

"You know I will." And with that, Scarlet took to the skies once more. Diana sighed. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

* * *

Dipper and Mabel ran downstairs to talk to Ford. As soon as he had woken up, Dipper had told Mabel his theory. Of course, Mabel being Mabel, she was excited to have met a bird-person. He punched in the code into the vending machine and the duo descended excitedly into the basement.

"Grunkle Ford?" He asked when they emerged from the elevator. "Can we ask you something?" He didn't turn to answer.

"Yes, of course. What is it?" He replied absentmindedly, his attention on the book he was pouring over.

"Well, a tourist came into the gift shop yesterday, and when she left, a feather dropped out of her pocket. When I opened the door to give it back, she was gone. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that it didn't belong to any known bird."

"She brought question mark earrings!" Mabel put in.

"But when I looked through the journal, I found that she matches the description of a Chimeri. I concluded that she either is, or knows, a Chimeri. Then I remembered that she had a feather-patterned tattoo on her back." Dipper took a deep breath. "I think she is a Chimeri, and we would like your help in finding her." Ford stared at him, surprised, when he heard this.

"A Chimeri, you say." He rubbed his chin. "That she entered civilization is remarkable. I still don't know that much about them, but maybe you can find out for me. From what I know, they live somewhere in the North part of the forest."

"Thanks, Ford! We'll see you soon." They ran to the elevator and pressed a button.

"Yes, yes. Have fun! And stay safe!" He turned back to his work.

* * *

The Mystery twins trudged through the quiet and peaceful forest, getting directions from the occasional gnome.

"Dipper, I don't think we're going in the right direction." Mabel said after a while. "Maybe we should go back."

"No. I know she's around here somewhere."

"You said that the last five times." She sat down on a log that was in the warming sun, a welcome change from the forest's cool shadows. Goosebumps formed on her skin. "Could we at least rest for a bit then?"

"You can. I'm pushing forward. Diana's close, I can feel it in my bones." Dipper insisted, going around a light-barked tree.

"Yeah, your noodle bones." Mabel joked. Dipper frowned, and poked his head back around the birch.

"Shhhh. Do you hear that?" They paused to listen. All there was to be heard was the erie silence of the dark forest. Not even crickets dared to break the peaceful quiet.

"There's nothing there." She pointed out.

"Exactly." Moving around a clump of bushes, Mabel staying on the log, Dipper came across a small clearing, towered by an enormous ancient oak. Seated underneath it, were two figures, their backs to the pair. Dipper, recognizing features described in the journal, saw that they were both female, one a Chimeri, the other a pheonix. He beckoned to Mabel.

"Mabel!" He whispered fiercely. Something told him that this space was silent for a reason. "Mabel! Come here."

"'Kay then bro bro. Calm do-" she stopped when she saw the people underneath the tree. "Hey, isn't that Diana?" Mabel pointed to the Chimeri.

"Yes, I suppose it is." Dipper hadn't realized that before. "I don't recognize the other one though."

"That's probably because we haven't met her yet. Come on! Lets go introduce ourselves!" She ran over to them as Dipper tried to grab her arm, and failed.

"Mabel! Wait! I'm not sure that's a good idea." But it was too late. Dipper closed his eyes, ready for the shock that was to come. Except that it never did. When he opened his eyes, he saw Mabel, Diana, and the stranger talking, seated in a circle. Releasing a breath of relief he didn't know he was holding, he jogged over to meet them under the intimidating oak.

"Dipper!" Mabel cried, waving enthusiastically.

"Hello, Dipper. You know me, of course. This is my best friend, Scarlet Rose. She's a pheonix."

"Nice to meet you, Scarlet." Dipper said, politely shaking hands. He stared marveled at her brilliant crimson red, mustard orange, and sunny yellow wings.

"What brings you here, Dipper?" Diana asked.

"Well, you dropped a feather in the gift shop, yesterday, and I found that it matched the description for a Chimeri feather. So, using my journal as a guide, I made my way here." He explained.

"Interesting. Might I see this journal?" Dipper's eyes widened and he silently cursed himself for letting such an important piece of information slip. He brought the book out from being tucked into his midnight blue vest. He hesitated, then reluctantly handed it over. Diana took the book and gently flicked through the pages, Scarlet looking curiously over her shoulder.

"Interesting." She repeated. "I purposely left that feather where you could find it." She admitted, returning the book.

"Wait, WHAT!?" He exclaimed, dropping his journal.

"You see, Scar and I were trying to guess how many people left the Mystery Shack that day, when your taxi pulled up outside. Soon after, your 'Grunkle' Ford said something we couldn't hear. But I can lip read. He said something about a journal, and magic. So I decided to investigate. And here we are now." She explained, making quotation marks at 'Grunkle' as Dipper picked up the relic from the grassy forest floor and dusted it off.

"Oh. Well, now that we've met, do you want to help us with mysteries? There are some crop circles we've wanted to investigate for a while now." Diana's eyes widened.

"Really? You know, I've always wanted to do that kind of thing." She admitted. "Scar, do you want to come?"

"No, but thanks. I've got housecleaning to do."

"Housecleaning?" Dipper inquired, confused.

"Pheonixs live in caves in volcanos, so I go through great lengths to keep mine tidy and home-like. It's a pain, but it's worth it. You should come sometime." She explained.

"I'll take you up on that offer. Now come on, guys! I believe the crop circles are on Gravity Falls hill, not surprising, as the hill is actually an alien spaceship." Dipper cringed, letting yet another piece of information slip.

"Oops, sorry. I'm not sure if Ford wanted others to know that."

"Nah, that's okay. Everyone in the forest already knew that." Diana admitted.

"Really?"

"Yeah. What, you think borrowers like moles and rabbits wouldn't discover it?" She said, putting her hands on her hips.

"If you don't mind, I would like to check out these 'crop circles' some time today, thanks." Mabel said. Dipper nodded, then walked off into the beckoning forest with his sister. Scarlet grabbed Diana's arm before she could follow.

"Are you sure about this?" She asked urgently. "Something bad is coming, I know it."

"Relax, Scar. It'll just be one time. What could go wrong?" She unfurled her wings and took off, flying low, following the twins. Scar frowned. Diana could lip read, but her instincts were terrible. Scar's intuition, on the other hand, was never wrong. She sighed inwardly. Like Diana had said, it will just be a one time thing. What could possibly go wrong?


	3. Chapter 3

Friendship Hurts

Chapter 3

Raven Frost paced her dimly-lit, brick shack. She never liked trees and plants, and she couldn't stand to live in one. It was the very reason why she was an outcast. The Chimeri lived for protecting nature, and she directly disobeyed that law. She cut down the tree she used to live in, and was declared banished shortly after, by none other than the one who reported the tree cutting. Diana Huntress. That wrench. If it wasn't for her Raven wouldn't be in this mess, she would have blamed it on beavers or humans, and she wouldn't have lost the love of her life.

A purple and black butterfly flew in with a breeze through her open shutters. Raven held out a skeleton-thin finger and the pretty creature landed delicately on it. Unlike trees, she loved butterflies. So graceful, so full of elegance. Unlike Diana. Her butterfly tattoo gleamed purple briefly, and the insect turned into a dagger with metal butterfly wings as the hilt. Raven threw the knife into a picture of her nemesis on the wall. She was going to pay, and pay dearly.

* * *

Diana flew over the crop circles, taking photos in an instant camera. The pictures that came out were tucked into a folder under her arm. She snapped a photo, hovered in the air as she waited for the picture to come out, put it into the folder, then continued flying until she took another photo. When she had a few, she landed and gave them to Dipper.

"Thanks, Diana. This really helps." He said before examining the photos. He pursed his lips. "Hey, Mabel! Come have a look at this!" She ran over from her spot under the cool shade of a nearby tree, and the trio bent over the pictures. There was a large ring of still standing grass with flattened greenery both inside and outside the circle. It split off to form three more smaller ones connected by rectangles of flattened grass. Surrounding all of this was a smoothed ring. Dipper pulled the journal out and started flipping through the aged pages, looking for a match to the strange symbol.

"I can't find a match for this." He said, defeated, after going through the whole book.

"Actually, I think I recognise it. Yes, that's the symbol for the D.F.F." Diana explained.

"The D. ?" Mabel asked, confused.

"The Defence Force of the Forest. A cliché name, but a name nether the less. It's run by gnomes."

"So this was done by a bunch of gnomes?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah. Sorry 'bout that."

"No problem. Hey, do you want to meet my great uncle Ford tomorrow?" He offered.

"The author of this journal? Yes, please!" She answered a little too enthusiastically. "Meet you here tomorrow?"

"Yep, see you then."

"See you then." She confirmed. Once she took to the once-again clear skies, Mabel turned to her male sibling.

"You like her."

"What!? No, I don't. What made you think that?" Dipper said nervously.

"You like her! You like her!" Mabel teased.

"Mabel, stop."

"Oh, come on Dipper. Lighten up."

"You tricked me. You tricked me into reacting as if I liked her." He accused.

"Yes I did! There is no fooling the worlds greatest match-maker!" Mabel cried enthusiastically.

"Come on. Lets just tell Ford our plans for tomorrow."

* * *

"Hey, Diana. How'd it go?" Scar asked absentmindedly as Diana walked in through the front door to her own house. Scarlet usually invited herself in when she was bored. Diana wasn't surprised to see her.

"Great. Turns out the crop circles were made by the D.F.F. And Dipper asked if I wanted to meet his great uncle Ford tomorrow." Diana replied, putting her bag on the coffee table.

"And you accepted?"

"Yep."

"I thought it would just be that one time." Scar said worriedly, getting up from the sofa and making her way over to the cooler. Dispite what humans think, the Chimeri love the benefits of civilization, and disguised themselves all the time to work, hang out, and buy food. She got out two pit cola sodas, gave one to Diana, and opened her own with a fizz.

"I know." She said, taking a sip out of her drink. She spat out the pit before continuing. "But I really want to meet the author of the journals. Dipper described him to me, and he sounds awesome."

"Yeah, but-"

"This will be the last time, I promise." Scar took a slow sip from her drink, thinking carefully about this. Diana never broke her vows, unless she had very good reason.

"Very well. But I'm holding you to that promise."

* * *

When Ford, Dipper and Mabel climbed the hill, Diana was already waiting. When she saw them, she extended a hand.

"Hello, you must be Ford. I am Diana Huntress." She introduced politely.

"Wow, a real Chimeri." He murmured, shaking hands. His gaze moved to her folded wings. "May I?"

"Yes, of course." Diana extended a wing and held still as Ford examined it.

"A marvel of aerodynamics." He muttered. Then he realize what he was doing. "My apologies. All I know of the Chimeri are tales told by other forest creatures. I have not actually met one before." He gestured to a couple of logs nearby. "Would you do me the honors of describing you customs?" Diana sat down, with Ford opposite her, Dipper next to him, Mabel seated on a separate log to all of them.

"Well, first off-" She began.

"Sorry to interrupt you, but might I put this in my journal?"

"Yes, of course. Now, as I was saying, the Chimeri aren't actually in awe of civilization. If anything, we love it. We work, shop, and explore in cities..." The chat continued until the cool late evening. By that time, Ford had become so engrossed in finding out more, Dipper and Mabel had to literally drag him home. Chuckling to herself, Diana turned to face the silver disk that was the moon. She sighed, soaking up the calm of the night. The peace seeped through her skin, and flowed through her veins. It wasn't often that she experienced quiet such as this. She took a deep breath, unfurled her magnificent wings, and flew away into the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Friendship Hurts

Chapter 4

One Week Later

Scarlet lay facedown in her ebony bed, ontop of her pale yellow silk sheets, fed up with all of Diana's excuses. She couldn't even begin to count the masses of them.

"I'm learning so much! I can't miss this!"

"The twins want me to feature on 'Dippers Guide To The Unexplained.'"

"Dipper raised the dead. Again."

"Mabel wants me to model for sweaters."

"There have been sightings of a real gobblewonker in the lake."

"Bill's back."

"Dipper wanted me to fly him up the mountain so he could talk to the multibear."

"Mabel said Dipper accidentally got shrunk. I want to take photos before he changes back."

"Gideon escaped from jail again."

There were more, but she couldn't be bothered to remember them right now. A knock at the door made Scarlet reluctantly get up. Opening her front door-yes, there was a door to her cave-she saw Diana, Dipper and Mabel standing outside in the cold, overcast morning. It was hard to believe that it had been sunny the day before.

"Dipper and Mabel asked if they could visit you." Diana explained.

"We felt that you were being left out." Dipper admitted. He looked nervous, being around so many feminine girls.

"Why don't you come inside." Scar offered. She ushered them inside, then brought out four cans of pit cola from a cooler.

"So you really weren't joking when you said you buy stuff from town. Where do you get the money?" Dipper asked.

"We rob people." Diana said simply, smiling, then laughed at the shocked looks on the twins faces. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist an opportunity like that. We work for it, or we live on nuts and berries. That gets boring after a while."

"Where do you work?" Mabel inquired, sipping from her soda.

"Scar and I sell carved figures at the market."

"So that's where I've seen you! I thought you were familiar."

"Hey, Mabel. Remember the Hand-Witch?" Dipper asked pointedly.

"Oh, yeah! One of my best achievements!"

"Sorry, Hand-Witch?" Diana inquired.

"Long story short, Grunkle Stan stole from a witch, so she kidnapped his hands to make him come to her home, because she was lonely. In the end, I redecorated so men will like her better." Mabel explained. She took a sip from her drink before continuing. "Also, can I see one of your figures?"

"Yeah, sure." Diana pulled out a piece of carved wood shaped like a big cat.

"What is that?" Dipper asked.

"This is a Kima. They are related to the panther, and are omnivores. They are also a symbol of good luck, and are sacred to our gods."

"You have gods?" Mabel asked.

"Yes. I told Ford a week ago."

"Right."

The talk lasted until noon, the time when Dipper and Mabel had promised to be back by. They couldn't get down the mountain by themselves, so Diana carried Dipper, and Scarlet carried Mabel down. They landed, and the twins said goodbye to the best friends. As they walked home, Diana was about to fly away when Scar grabbed her arm. Dipper, just glancing back in time to see this, dragged his sister down into a flowering bush, still within earshot.

"Diana, I feel like you're leaving me out." Scarlet admitted quietly.

"Nonsense." Diana retorted.

"Well, yeah, you are. You haven't been offering me the chance to go with you, and you weren't including me in the conversation."

"Was not!" Diana insisted defiantly.

"Was too! Recently, you're seeming more selfish." Scar accused.

"Selfish!? You're just ungrateful."

"I'm ungrateful!? You've been spending more time with those twins than your own best friend!" Scar cried.

"Those twins felt you were being left out, so they came and visited you!"

"And they still left me out!" Scarlet pointed out. She was on the verge of tears.

"You are a jealous, selfish, ungrateful, shitty little bitch daughter of a harlot." Diana cried, advancing on her, jabbing at her chest with every hurtful word she said. That was the breaking point Scar needed. The bonds of friendship they shared shattered, and she burst into tears. Realization dawned on Diana and her face softened.

"Oh, god. Scar-" She began, horrified with what she said.

"No! I don't want to hear it!" Opening her beautiful wings, she took off, flying home, tears streaming down her face. Diana sat down, her head in her hands. Dipper looked at his sister, who had the same horrified look on her face as him, stood up, and acted like he was far away.

"Diana, Mabel and I are going on a monster hunt! You wanna come?" He offered.

"Dipper! What are you doing!?" Mabel whispered fiercely, tugging at his shirt.

"She needs to take her mind off this." He replied, swatting her hand away.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Diana called back. She appeared around a tree a moment later.

"Monster hunt! Monster hunt!" The twins yelled together, continuing down the beaten path. Mabel noticed that Diana wasn't in the spirit of things. When they reached the rickety old Mystery Shack for Dippers journal, she spoke up as Dipper ran inside for the book.

"Diana, what's wrong? You don't seem as enthusiastic as usual." She asked, plainly worried for her.

"It's nothing." Diana replied, folding her arms, not meeting her eyes.

"You can tell us." Dipper offered, coming out of the Shack with his book under his arm. She sighed.

"I'm sorry, but this is but this is between Scar and I."

"We know. We heard everything." Mabel admitted.

"Wait, what!?" Diana exclaimed, unfolding her limbs. "Why would you do that!?"

"I noticed the growing tensions between you two." Dipper said. Diana sat down on a nearby log and put her face in her hands.

"Well, what can I do? You heard her. She doesn't want to talk to me."

"The only thing you can do. Apologize. Make amends. Say you're sorry." Mabel replied, growing quieter and more sympathetic with each word.

"But will she accept it?"

"You want to make amends, right?" Dipper asked.

"Well, yeah."

"Then you gotta say sorry. If you feel uncomfortable doing it yourself, then we'll come with you." Mabel told her.

"You guys would do that?" Diana inquired, lifting her head out of her hands.

"We would." The twins said solemnly at the same time. They made a face at each other.

"Thank you, but I should really do this myself."

"We understand, but we'll follow close behind, just in case. You never know what creatures lurk in the forest shadows." Dipper assured.

"No, really, I want to do this myself. If she sees you guys, she'll go nuts again."

"Then we won't be seen."

"SILENT AS SHADOWS!" Mabel yelled loudly and enthusiastically.

"'Kay, fine. But don't blame me if she doesn't accept the apology." Diana warned, getting up off the log with a grunt. Together the trio set off into the forest.

Soon after, Mabel broke the erie silence.

"Hey, guys? I keep getting this weird feeling like we're being watched."

"Relax, Mabel. It's probably just the gnomes." Dipper assured, totally oblivious to the danger Mabel sensed.

"Heh heh. Yeah, the gnomes." She told herself nervously glancing around. A twig snapped, a rope came out of nowhere, and Dipper, looking up at the disturbance, got dragged into the forest depths.

"Bro, bro!" Cried Mabel, devastated.

"Bro, bro?" Diana inquired.

"My sibling nickname for him." She explained. Distracted, she didn't notice a piece of cloth dropped from above by...

"Butterflies?" Diana asked rhetorically, confused. Indeed, a moment later the whole path was swarmed with them. Blacks, blues, reds and purples flooded the scene. The cloth that had landed on Mabels mouth was drenched in some sort of drug that knocked her out instantly. Blinded in the confusion, Diana didn't see her get dragged into the trees by a hooded figure. A moment later, something heavy thumped into her skull, and she collapsed into a heap, unconsious. Towering over her sleeping carcass was the hooded figure that had pulled Mabel into the forest. It pushed back it's hood to reveal a goth-like face with black hair and purple eyes.

"Sweet dreams, Diana Huntress." Raven Frost said wickedly.


	5. Chapter 5

Friendship Hurts

Chapter 5

It was the perfect plan. Kidnap the menace Diana Huntress and her new-found friends. Make her watch as everything she loved, everything she cared about was taken away from her, and then the final step. Getting rid of her, once and for all. But for that, she would need a little extra power. Her magic had been weak since she was little. She supposed she should be lucky she got any at all. Most didn't.

Raven Frost chuckled cruelly at her plan. This was going to be easy, with Diana angry at her best friend. She wouldn't even attempt this with her around, those two were inseparable, but with the amount of magic she was about to possess, no-one would dare get in her way. She finished drawing a circle in chalk around a picture of her enemy with her eyes crossed out in red, and placed eight white candles spaced evenly around the circle before lighting them. She then started to chant.

 _"Triangulum, entangulum. Veneforis dominus ventium. Veneforis venetisarium!"_ Raven cried as the world around her turned grey. A triangle surrounded by small flames filled with outer-space appeared before her, then changed to form a yellow triangular being. It wore a black top hat and tie, had one eye, and had a strange brick pattern on the lower half of its body. It was the Pines twins worst enemy, Bill Cipher.

"Oh, Gravity Falls, it is good to be back!" He cried happily. "Oh, hiya there, Raven." Raven was unfazed by this dream-demon knowing her name.

"I want something from you, Bill Cipher."

* * *

Diana aroused to the sound of Mabel calling desperately for help.

"Help! Someone, please! We've been tied against our will! Help! Someone! Anyone! Help!"

"Mabel stop. It's hopeless." Dipper ordered quietly, already given up.

"But someone might hear me." Argued Mabel.

"You've been doing it for half an hour. If someone was going to rescue us, they would have done it already." Mabel poked her tongue out at her brother, but quietened. Then she noticed something else.

"Look! I think Diana's waking up!"

"You don't need to tell the whole world." She mumbled. Diana took in her surroundings. The three were each tied separately, but still bound to the same tree. Mabel was on her left, Dipper on her right. They were outside her home. She struggled against her bonds, to no prevail.

"Does anyone know why we're here?" She inquired. Both twins shook their heads. Just at that moment a figure emerged from the shadows, it's head bent. Once in the sunlight, it raised it's head to reveal itself to it's captives. Raven Frost.

"Nice cliché, emerging from the shadows like an evil villain." Joked Diana. Raven looked shocked.

"You're not going to ask why I would do this?"

"No."

"Why." She asked cautiously.

"Because I already know. It's one of the oldest plots in the book. Good-guy ruins your life unintentionally, bad-guy gets revenge by returning the favor, but this time intentionally." Diana explained.

"Oh. Well then, that completely ruins the dramatics. I hope you're happy."

"I am, thanks for asking." Ravens face twisted in fury.

"Enough!" She shouted, sending a wave of raidient purple light in every direction. This stunned Diana enough to stop talking. Raven glowed a steady magenta. "You took everything from me! So I'm gonna take everything from you. Your home, you friends..." With each word she rose higher and higher into the air. She snapped her fingers and a purple spark started an indigo flame in her open hand. Raven started to twirl it around her fingers. It looked like she knew what she was doing.

"That doesn't sound so bad." Diana joked nervously, staring at the flame,

"And then," Raven grinned evily, "your life."

"Oh." Mabel started screaming for help again. Raven gave the flame one last twirl and opened her palm. The flame jumped from her to Diana's home, changing from purple to red, igniting the leaves of the tree. She raised her hand, and the fire roared higher. As Diana watched, horrified, the fire devoured her life-long home. She heard glass shatter, and wood snap in the heat. She noticed a piece of paper afire float out of the window, and as it flied past Diana, she saw that it was a photo of her and Scarlet together, as friends. Then the force of the wind tore the already weakened paper in half, Diana on one side, Scarlet on the other.

"Typical." She muttered, heartbroken by the scene. None of this would have happened if she hadn't gotten mad at Scarlet. She was her best friend. It was her own fault for ignoring her. If only she hadn't gotten so caught up in the mysteries of Gravity Falls. She watched as her home, everything she had ever known, was burnt to a crisp, down to the ground, until there was nothing left. The fire went out.

Suddenly the ropes that bound Dipper and Mabel moved. They were dragged into the middle of the small clearing that was her yard, where a pillar of wood shot up out of the ground.

"Your turn." Raven said evily to them. The twins started to scream, louder and fearing for their lives. Diana just stared shocked at what was going on. A warm tear ran down her face as Raven snapped her fingers once again, starting another flame.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, her eyes filled with tears, her heart racked with guilt, her voice a harsh croak. It was hard to imagine that she was joking around just a moment ago. "I c-could have prevented this. I-I wish that I never fought with Scarlet. I w-wish that we were friends again. This was all my fault. I'm sorry."

* * *

Scarlet flew into her cave-home after her fight with Diana. Warm tears steamed down her face at a steady rate, her eyes were red and puffy. Once inside, she ran over to her mantle, and started to smash everything Diana-related. A picture of her and Diana together was torn in half, the frame smashed. The friendship locket they shared was banged into the table, denting the silver, the twin portraits inside thrown in the trash. The carved wooden figure of a griffin she had given Scarlet for her birthday was thrown into the fireplace. She winced at the snap of burning wood, and sat down on her couch, putting her head in her hands, crying silently. Scar wasn't sure how much time had past, but soon after she whiffed the smell of burning wood, and it wasn't the griffin. Walking quickly to her door, she opened it, nearly pulling it off it's hinges, and saw the glow of a large blaze coming from...

"Diana's house." She whispered, horrified. Without thinking twice, she unfurled her brilliant red, orange, and yellow wings, and flew desperately towards the fire. She may no longer be friends with Diana, but she sure as hell wasn't about to stand by and let her die.


	6. Chapter 6

Friendship Hurts

Chapter 6

Scarlet flew unseen overhead as Dianas house burnt to the ground. She stared at the scene, horrified, possibly scared for life. Diana was in there. Then she noticed her ex-best friend tied to a tree. She breathed a sigh of relief. Scar was not needed here. She turned around, then paused, frowning.

"Wait." Diana was tied to a tree, and with Dipper and Mabel no less. Something was not right here. Then she noticed something else. Raven Frost was hovering before the burning house, glowing a brilliant purple. So she was getting revenge. And since when did she possess that much magic? The house finished burning, and the flame died out. Then the twins were dragged into the middle of the clearing by ropes. As Scar landed in the bushes behind Diana, she heard Raven speak.

"You're next."

"Oh, god." Scar whispered, transfixed to the horrific scene. Then she heard her ex-best friend mutter something as Raven ignited a flame in her hand.

"I'm sorry. I c-could have prevented this. I-I wish that I never fought with Scarlet. I w-wish that we were friends again. This was all my fault. I'm sorry."

"Oh, Diana. Why didn't you just say so." The captive jumped at her voice. This went unnoticed by Raven, who was torturing the twins by lashing them with tendrils of purple flame. Dipper screamed in pain as Mabel whimpered loudly.

"Scarlet?" She whispered, her throat burning with tears.

"I'm here." Scar replied. She moved in to untie her friend. She struggled with the knots.

"What is this, tied with magic?" She asked rhetorically.

"Probably." Once untied, Diana swiftly swept Scarlet up in a hug, crying into her shoulder. Scar hugged her back, just as tight, just as comforting. They released each other reluctantly, and Scar spoke.

"How did this happen?"

"I was on my way to apologize when she kidnapped us. Oh, Scar. I'm so sorry."

"That's okay." Scar paused, and took a deep breath, as if preparing for the worst. "You know, it's you I turn to when my heart needs a hug. It's you I look to when my worlds come undone. It's you I can count on to lend me strength when I have none. It's you I trust with my deepest and wildest dreams. It's you I trust with my most cherished things. It's you I appreciate in a million different ways. It's you I thank my lucky stars for every single day."

"Oh, god, Scar. I didn't know."

"Diana, that's okay." She insisted. "Lets just stop this madness." She added, jerking a thumb at Diper and Mabel, noticing the twins pain. The duo stepped out from the shade of the tree, and Raven finally noticed them, and stopped hurting the twins.

"Wha-how?" She stammered.

"Next time, pay more attention to your captives." Advised Diana.

"Not that there will be a next time." Scar added.

"No matter. I will destroy you!" She drew back her hand, and threw a ball of purple lightning at the two. Scar and Diana scattered, dodging the weapon. Raven started firing them one by one, none stop. As one, they flew into the air, and with the ease of long practice avoided the death-traps.

"Ugh! Fine! If I can't harm you, I will harm your friends." She summoned the fire again, and launched it onto the base of the pillar Dipper and Mabel were tied to. Immediately it roared in flames, completely devouring the pair. Their screams reached it's peak, then faded until there was nothing. Scarlet stared, shocked, horrified beyond reason. Raven smiled wickedly, sickly pleased with herself. Diana hovered, frowning. Consentrating.

The fire died, having consumed everything there was to devour. As it faded, it revealed a copper bubble veined with gold, containing the brunette twins. It moved out of the ash, then collapsed, releasing the twins, and Dipper and Mabel stumbled, regaining their balance. They were alive, safe, and well.

"Wha-how-no-wh-ho-wh-what?" She stammered.

"You're not the only one with magic." Diana grinned. "And mine is much stronger." She glowed with a magnificent copper specked with gold aura, one to match Ravens. She pushed forward with her arm, palm open. Razor sharp feathers shot out of her palm at Raven. She blocked them with a purple shield, and fired back with purple balls of lightning, only to be blocked by Dianas copper shield. It was a stalemate.

* * *

Scarlet, who didn't have any magic, flew down to the recovering twins and ushered them into the safety of the trees. She took out a vial from her pocket and dabbed the contents onto the twins burns. The moment the liquid touched the sores, they dissapeared, healing.

"Pheonix tears." She said, proud. "Works every single time. And is a little bit gross at the same time."

"What's happening?" Mabel asked drowsily.

"Raven tried to kill you, Diana saved you with magic, and they're fighting now." Scar explained hurriedly.

"Who's winning?" Dipper asked. Scar looked back to check.

"I think it's a stalemate." She confirmed.

"We gotta help, then." Mabel struggled against her grip, but Scar held her fast.

"Hey! What gives!" She cried. Dipped also tried to escape, with no success.

"This is her fight. We can't interfere."

"It's a stalemate! At this rate, no-one is going to win. But I bet you could turn the tables." Dipper insisted.

"This is a magic battle. I have none." Scar argued.

"Who said you needed magic?" She paused. He had a point.

* * *

Diana was getting frustrated. Ravens power was weak. She should have been beaten already. Where was she getting all this extra power from? Something was wrong here. She saw something out of the corner of her eye. Recognizing the colours, she refused to turn her head to get a better look. If she was planning something to stop this stalemate, she didn't want to reveal it to Raven. As the exchange of feathers and lightning continued, Scarlet flew behind Raven. Just as Diana fired her copper feather knives, she slammed into Raven, disorienting her briefly. Her shield stopped some of Diana's attack, but faltered, and fell. Five feathers got through. One slammed into her shoulder, another into her thigh. The other three cut through her wings, rendering her unable to fly. A look of ire and anguish flashed across her face. Raven dropped like a stone, plummeting to the ground, and crashed into the remains of Diana's house. She didn't rise.

Diana slowly descended to the ground. Scar joined her as the twins Mabel and Dipper ran over to them.

"Do you think she's still alive?" Dipper asked, worried he already knew the answer. Diana shook her head.

"No. No-one could survive a fall from that height." She turned to Scarlet. "Scar, I am so, so sorry for yelling at you like that. I got mad, 'cause I thought you were jealous of me having other friends. Will you forgive me?"

"Of course I will. And what you just said was so cliché." Diana chuckled.

"I know."

"If you're done kissing up to each other, I would like to get back to the Mystery Shack before Grunkle Ford thinks that something's up." Mabel interrupted, hands on her hips. Dipper agreed.

"Well, we'd best get going, then." Diana urged. Dipper remembered something.

"What about your house? All your stuff, your belongings-"

"It will be fine." She assured. "I'll crash at Scars until it's rebuilt."

"Okay, then." Dipper shrugged. Putting his arm protectively around Mabel, he trudged back home through the forest.

"Come on, Scar. Lets go."

"My place or the Shack?" Scarlet inquired.

"Which ever you prefer." Diana answered simply. Scar thought about this for a moment.

"How about...the Mystery Shack."

"You're the best, Scar." Together they caught up with the twins, and the quartret made their way back to the Shack as the cool day ended.


	7. Epiloge

Friendship Hurts

Epiloge

They didn't even get to have a rest when they entered the Mystery Shack, before Ford asked if he could run some tests. Somehow he found out about Diana's lip-reading and Scarlet's instincts. Not looking at anyone, Mabel.

"Okay, Diana. Stan is going to say something outside, out of earshot, and I want you to tell me what exactly it is that he says." He told her.

"Why are we doing this again?" She asked.

"I want to know all the mysteries of Gravity Falls, and every little bit counts." He explained.

"Oh." She walked to the window as Dipper, Mabel and Scarlet sat in a corner and talked quietly. She glimpsed something about a Twinstone. But rather than lip-read that, she focused on Stan. He stood in his usual Mystery Shack suit, in front of a large group of tourists by the bottomless pit, giving them a tour. He spoke, and Diana interpreted for Ford.

"And to your right, ladies and gentlemen, is the bottomless pit. It's bottomless!"

"Interesting." He scribbled something down in his journal number one. Although Dipper got to keep the third, the author kept the other two. Diana realized something.

"You're not using me to spy on him, are you?" She inquired, narrowing her eyes.

"What!? No, of course not." He replied defiantly, his voice wobbling with nerves. She stared at him, keeping her eyes narrowed. It worked every time.

"Okay, maybe a little." He admitted. Seeing her disturbed look, he added hurriedly. "We're siblings, much more twins. It's what we do. And I do want to learn about your abilities."

"Okay then. Is that it?"

"Yes. Can you get Scarlet for me?" He asked as he got five identical cups and five different fruit out of the kitchen. She obeyed and walked over to the trio.

"Your turn, Scar." She told her friend.

"Wish me luck." Scar got up and trotted over to where the old man was setting the objects he had gotten.

"Good luck!" Mabel called after her.

"So what were you guys talking about?" She asked, curious.

"I was just telling her about an adventure we had last summer. Would you believe that we went to an alternate dimension?" Dipper replied. He launched into the story as Ford told Scar to turn around. He placed a fruit under each cup. He ordered Scar to look.

"Tell me which cup has the lemon under it." He told her. She pointed to the far right one. Ford lifted it, and indeed it had held the lemon. Scar frowned.

"Now the apple?" The one just left to the middle was lifted to reveal the mentioned fruit. Her frown deepened.

"The orange." She pointed to the middle, and Ford lifted the cup.

"Remarkable. Now-"

"I'm sorry, but I need to talk to Diana quickly." She interrupted. Ford looked confused for a second, before nodding and leaving the room. Diana, having looked up from the story, read this and came over.

"What is it?" She asked, plainly worried for her.

"I don't know. I just keep getting this feeling that something terrible is coming." Diana was shocked.

"You mean that the whole kidnapping thing wasn't what your original feeling was?" Diana inquired. Scar shook her head.

"No."

"Original feeling?" Mabel repeated.

"Before the 'incident', Scar told me that something bad was coming. After, I just thought that it had passed." Diana explained.

"Well, whatever it is, well get through it. We've been through worse." Dipper assured.

"Are you sure?" The other three said at the same time. They looked at each other, and burst into laughter.

"I'm sure."

"We'll get through it." Scar confirmed. Diana looked at her.

"Together." She added. They smiled at each other. The rest of the summer was going to be fun.

* * *

As Dipper's and Mabel's, Diana's and Scarlet's voices faded, silence fell on the smoldering scene. It stayed that way for a few moments, before a blackened hand burst out from the burnt ruins. Little by little, Raven Frost pulled herself from the wreckage. Panting with the effort, she stood. Then the world turned grey and a yellow being materialized infront of her. It was Bill.

"Hey, Raven. What a disappointment you turned out to be." He said sadly. "And because of that, I'm gonna need my power back." He gestured to Raven, and a stream of glowing strands ran steadily from her to him, turning from purple to yellow. It faded, signaling the end of Raven's power. She knelt, suddenly exhausted from the effort of pulling herself from the rubble and her fight with Diana.

"Hey! What's going on!?" She cried wearily. "The deal was-" She was cut off by Bill.

"The deal was that you would capture the Pines twins for me. Not only did you try to kill them without my say-so, they escaped! What am I supposed now?"

"Bill, I know you're mad-"

"Oh, you ain't seen me mad yet." He grew massive and red, towering over the exiled Chimeri. " _Now_ I'm mad."

"There will be other opportunities, I swear!" Raven insisted.

"You broke a deal, and I hate it when deals get called off on me! I have had enough of you." He twirled his hand, and a gold cane appeared out of nowhere. He thumped it on the ground, and a pair of Kimas emerged from the shadows, growling deep in their throats.

"Bill? W-what are you doing?"

"What needs to be done." He replied, before slowly vanishing into thin air. The world regained it's colour, but the Kimas were still there. She backed up until she bumped into a tree behind her.

"Good Kimas. Nice Kimas." She told them worriedly. One gripped her ankle in its jaws, the other went for her injured shoulder. The weight of them toppled her over, and they dragged her into the forest shadows. She screamed.

* * *

 **Hey guys! I hope you loved Friendship Hurts. I'm sorry if it was a bit dark, but I really had ideas flowing. Let me know if you want a sequel for this story. I guess you could say that this is the sequel to Twinstones. All my stories will be connected in one way or another (not including one-shots). I'm going to start a one-shot series, describing the adventures of the Pines twins. You will be seeing more of Dipper and Mabel. After all, that is what Gravity Falls is all about.**

 **See you next time.**

 **-Diana Galathynius Pines**


End file.
